02 Dec 5 Rock Solid Reasons To Do Bodyweight Training

One of the biggest excuses to NOT exercise is….lack of time, right? As a matter of fact, it’s the biggest excuse there is, especially for someone that’s very busy and on a tight schedule, and who isn’t these days?

Well, one of the best solutions to this challenge is exercises that can be done anywhere, anytime, and in very little time. But still meeting the basic requirement, something that can yield great results for your specific goals.

Bodyweight exercises are such a solution. No equipment, no time, no problem.

Here are 5 reasons bodyweight training can get your body fit and strong.

YOU HAVE A TON OF OPTIONS: You actually have a vast amount of options to perform with bodyweight exercises, beyond just your basic push ups and squat type of exercise. However, truth be told, the basics are really all you need. But if you want variety, you could find up to 50 or so variations of the push up that you can do. How’s that for variety for one exercise? There are so many options for bodyweight exercises to do that incorporate total body strengthening and conditioning. Examples of some of the the most effective ones are: squat and push up variations, planks, lunges, pull ups, quadraped exercises (on your hands and knees), prone stability exercises, burpees, and squat thrusts.

IT’S HIGHLY CHALLENGING: If you think that doing bodyweight exercises are easy, give them a solid try. Some of the exercises I just mentioned above challenge you in ways that traditional weight training can’t, if done correctly. I have to be come clean here, although I’ve been exercising in the gym for years, I actually discredited bodyweight exercises for a long time thinking they just weren’t very effective. I was wrong. I re-discovered how hard they actually are and gave them the credit they deserve. For example, doing a simple 15 minute bodyweight circuit can be really, really challenging and very effective. There are many short duration exercise programs like this that will provide you with a challenging workout and also reward you with some amazing health benefits. The point is, don’t disrespect the power of bodyweight training.

FULL BODY INTEGRATION: If you’re looking to get a workout in that incorporates all your muscles into a complete and full body program, bodyweight exercises are great to accomplish this. By doing these exercises, you’re using many muscle groups simultaneously, and not just isolating specific muscles. An example, again, is the push up. When you push ups the correct way, you’re working a lot more that just your chest and arms. If done the right way, you’re working virtually all major muscles in your body and improving your functional strength, posture, balance, coordination, and cardiovascular system. This is different than doing a traditional bench press where you’re working in one plane of motion and isolating the movement to the chest, anterior deltoid, and triceps. Most bodyweight exercises combine muscle groups and work them much differently than machines and weights.

IT’S EFFECTIVE: Doing bodyweight exercises provide you with results. While these exercises may not be the “be all, end all” ,they do in fact provide superior results, in terms of strengthening and conditioning. If that’s the case, then why aren’t they more popular? Well, the fitness equipment industry is a billion dollar industry and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to pitch “no equipment” exercise programs all the time would it? But, the fact is that it works and has worked for many people for a long, long time. Personally, I like to use multiple approaches to fitness, which is what I am sharing here. I love Kettlebell training, but bodyweight training is a great supplement to that, as well. Bodyweight exercise is a great approach, but it’s not THE only approach. It works for me, it’s worked for others, it’s proven, and it can work for you. Bodyweight exercises can get your body in rock hard condition, no doubt about it.

HERE’S THE BIG ONE, IT ELIMINATES EXCUSES: As an ultra busy person, you can always get in your exercise program sometime within a 24 hour time period with this type of program. When you’re really in a time crunch, you’ll just need 15 minutes or so (you can actually do shorter workouts than this). Remember, anywhere, anytime. If your just starting out, it’s a great place to begin and progress into other things as your get stronger and more conditioned. And, even if your already training, it’s a great addition to your current program.

Again, this is just a piece of the puzzle. Just like anything else, you need to keep progressing and keep mixing things up to keep if fun and exciting. The last thing you want out of your fitness program is to get bored and lose interest. This is a vital piece to Smart Fitness. I’ll be posting some great body weight exercise routines coming up or refer back to the body blast.

Well, just some great reasons to add bodyweight training to your program OR use it to get started. Much more to come. This is only Day 2 of 31 days of continuous fitness tips.

About Scott Iardella, MPT, CSCS, CISSN

With over 3 decades of unique experiences, Scott has an accomplished background as a coach and "former" physio. Scott's known as an unconventional strength coach, movement teacher, and performance specialist who gets results. Frustrated by the mainstream, you could say he's very passionate about doing what's right in the area of strength and performance training. Recognized for engineering powerful, no nonsense training programs that increase strength, build muscle, and enhance athleticism while taking a long-term approach to health, fitness, and athletic performance. A true professional who’s dedicated to helping people fulfill their potential through a foundation of strength and better human movement.
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